John, the son of Abraham Van Nest, Sr., and Margaret (Field) Van Nest, was a banker and businessman of New York. From 1843-53 he was a director of the Greenwich Savings Bank and was a member of the firm of Van Nest and Hayden, saddlery hardware merchants. From 1843 until his death he was a member of The New-York Historical Society. His portrait was a gift to the Society from the estate of his granddaughter.